We live in times of great changes, where the pace of life can make you feel really stressed.

With so much to do and so much to take care of, it is easy to let life run away with you. You may not notice the effects of stress on your body and mind until something goes wrong.

Your body is very good at telling you what is going on, but perhaps you have forgotten how to read the emergency signals that warn you of an impending problem.

Your body is an incredible, interactive vehicle, and it needs careful care to keep it in peak condition. Having your own tried-and-tested ways to manage stress is essential. Exercise is an important way to do just that, but so is observing and managing stress.

By learning to de-stress and relax, you allow your body to rest and regenerate itself.

Stress is one of the major lifestyle factors of our times. It can be physical, mental or emotional - or even all three at once.

Stress often arises because you ignore the signals that your body gives you about your environment. For example, you might sit at your desk in the wrong position for years on end and may be putting severe stress on your neck and shoulders, creating pain, even migraines, and affecting your concentration and your mental state...

Simply adjusting your posture could alleviate the stress and have positive results.

Learning ways to manage stress is mostly a matter of learning to be aware of the signs, interpreting them and then doing something about it as soon as they arise.

Ignoring the signs of stress is not the answer; noticing it and learning how to deal with stress is the way forward.

Modern easy relaxation techniques concentrate on giving you ways to cope with stress, and this is exactly what our ten-minute stress busting exercises are designed to do.

Learning ways to manage stress is exciting - it opens the way to new levels of life experience...

It enables you to take control of your how you feel and how you act.

Learn to take 'ten-minute time-out' periods and see the difference it makes!

10 Minute Exercises To Beat Stress

Scroll down our list of exercises...

See what appeals to you and click on the link to see the exercise...

Make time to take a ten minute stress-busting break whenever you feel physical reactions like muscular tension, or emotional reactions such as anxiety.

You might want to keep notes of your experiences so that you have a personal record of what works for you.

Your reactions to things that stress you will be stored in your body; your physical self holds memories of stress. Research has shown that your 'mind' is not just in your head - all the different cells and tissues in your body are capable of holding emotional patterns. Often you are unaware of the level of discomfort that you are actually holding.

Use this ten minute exercise to increase your understanding of where you hold tension in your body. Once you identify this, you will be able to recognise it immediately and take steps to overcome it.

The fun thing about this effective relaxation technique is that you develop your awareness of the effect of colours on your well-being. You can use colour visualization as way to aid relaxation. Learn which colours relax you and which colours energize you; and then use them in this exercise.

This is one of my favourite ways to manage stress. Aromatherapy brings about a sense of physical and emotional well-being by using the natural aromas of selected essential oils which are extracted from different plants. Try these two 10 minute exercises for stress relief using your sense of smell.

Massage is a very special form of touch. It stimulates the skin's touch receptors, as well as warming the area being treated; fresh blood is brought to the lower layers of skin and relays pleasurable sensations to the brain. Deep relaxation and stress relief are the result. Face massage is very easy to do to yourself in front of a mirror.

Feet are often ignored or even disliked, which is a pity because they are really wonderful things. You will be amazed at how rejuvenating and energizing a foot massage can be. Follow this simple foot self-massage sequence and this might just become your best way of coping with stress.

Scientific studies have shown that music can evoke feelings of intense joy, shifts in mood and deep emotional responses. This is felt in the body as tingling sensations, in the mind as a sense of heightened feeling, and in the spirit as a kind of timeless rapture. It is no wonder that music is a part of every time and every people. Find out what is the best music for bringing about a calming effect.